Archive for August, 2011

In the recent years, a sugar glider has become a popular exotic pet. They are cute, little animals that are quite easy to take care for. Like any other exotic pet, a sugar glider also needs special care and attention in order to stay happy and healthy in domestic environment.

Scientifically, sugar gliders are called “Petaurus Breviceps”. They are marsupials, which mean that their young ones start life off in a mother’s pouch, similar to kangaroo. They are native to the forests of Australia, Papua New Guinea, and areas of Indonesia.

The body of a sugar glider is about 5 to 6 inches long, and its tail adds another 6 inches. Their weight is only 100 to 160 grams (4 to 5.5 oz). In captivity, the average life span of a sugar glider is about 10 to 15 years.

Since their young are born very immature, they grow in a pouch of the mother’s abdomen. They have furry membranes, called patagium, that extend from their wrists to their ankles. These membranes allow them to glide through the air. In their natural environment, they move from tree to tree by gliding. They have a large, opposable big toe on their hind feet, which allows them firmly grip branches. Their second and third toe forms a grooming comb.

Sugar gliders are extremely social animals and need to create bonding. If you can not spend enough time with your pet glider on daily basis, then it is highly recommended to consider keeping more than one glider, preferably of same sex, or a female and a neutered male. This will help in preventing repeated breeding. In addition, it is best to raise them together from a young age instead of introducing adults.

Since sugar gliders are nocturnal therefore they are most active during the night. However, they can enjoy spending time with their owners during the day, for example, sleeping in a pocket or bonding pouch.

These little animals are omnivores, and can eat a wide range of foods, including vegetables, fruits, and proteins. It is very important to give them proper diet so that they can stay healthy.

It is significant to begin training your new puppy immediately after bringing them home. You can train the puppy by yourself or you can hire a professional dog trainer. There are often many local dog training classes are available. You can get detailed information about this from your nearest veterinarian.

When it comes to dog or puppy training, there are two kinds of training:

Behavioral training:

This kind of training prevents and corrects bad or unacceptable habits of your puppy or dog. Habits such as car chasing, jumping, climbing on furniture, begging, and chewing are all included in their bad habits.

When training your puppy, it is very important for you to be consistent and show great patience. For instance, do not allow your puppy on the couch unless you have a plan to let them when they are fully grown.

Obedience training:

This type of training allows your puppy to learn and obey certain commands, including sit, stay, come, and go. It also allows you to teach them how to heel. It is important to train your puppy in frequent, but short, training sessions. This will prevent them from getting bored and also allow them to learn fast.

It is best to consider having 10 – 15 minute sessions, two or three times a day.

One important tip in training your dog is that you should train it just before meals as this will help it connect its meal with a reward for the training, as well as makes it more interested in the food treat you have in the training session.

Another important tip is to always speak the name of your puppy before giving a word command. This will help in getting its attention. After that, speak a one word command, such as sit, stay, come, or heel.

However, do not get impatient, as patience is very important in training your puppy. Repeat the command several times until your puppy obeys. Moreover, never call your puppy or dog to come to you for punishment.

Cichlids, pronounced as sick-lids, are the largest family of freshwater fish that are quite expensive and recognized for their attractive coloration. They are considered as one of the world’s most diverse and specialized group of fish.

Cichlids have more than 1300 species, with a surprising number of color and size combinations. Many people have come across a cichlid without even knowing it. Common aquarium fish, such as freshwater angelfish and Oscars, are actually cichlids.

A number of pet cichlids can be categorized into two groups:

1. New World Cichlids

2. African Cichlids

New World cichlids are further classified into South and Central American cichlids. Each group has many different species and subspecies. These cichlids are hardy, easy to care for, and are likely to have bright colors. These distinctive features greatly attract fish collectors and hobbyist to cichlids.

African cichlids are originated from three lakes in Africa, namely Lake Malawi, Lake Tanginika, and Lake Victoria. Lake Malawi is the third largest and second deepest lake of Africa. There are over 1000 species of cichlids in this lake, including some of the most beautiful fish in the world. African cichlids are best known for their attractive patterns and a range of color that are not common in many freshwater fish.

These cichlids are not only easy to care for but also among the easiest aquarium fish to breed. Because of this, they are very popular among the breeders and hobbyists.

African Grey Parrots are wonderful birds that sleet from the African rain forests. These parrots are known for their beauty, personality and intelligence, making them an admired addition to any family that wants to have them.

Since they have a long lifespan, many African Grey Parrots that are available for purchase are only a generation or two from the wild. It is important to realize that these parrots are very intelligent social birds that will enjoy being part of your life, on the condition that you give them the love, respect, and the care they deserve.

African Grey Parrots have two popular subspecies, which are as follows:

The Congo African Grey Parrot (Psittacus Erithacus Erithacus)

The Congos are slightly bigger than the Timnehs, and have vibrant red-tail feathers. They have different shades of grey over most of their body, having a bit darker grey wings. They have a white leather-like featherless mask around their eyes and a brilliant crimson-red tail that is normally only a few inches long. Their beak is grey in color. Their maximum length can reach 12 to 14 inches and weigh around a pound or so.

The Timneh African Grey Parrot (Psittacus Erithacus Timneh)

The Timnehs are less expensive than Congos however, they still make excellent companions. They have maroon colored tail feathers, and mostly have slightly darker coloration than the Congos, particularly over the back. Also, their upper mandible is bone colored with a dark edge, whereas the lower mandible is grey.

All young Grey Parrots have jet black eyes that change to a yellowish-cream color upon reaching about 2 years of age. These exotic birds are superb mimics and most are wonderful talkers that have vocabularies approaching 2,000 words or more. Those Grey Parrots that do not repeat words are very expert at repeating household noises, like the doorbell or telephone, often sufficiently well to confuse their owners. Because of this, these parrots are considered as the most intelligent of all the parrot types.

A Labrador Retriever or Labradoror Lab is a breed of dog with good nature, people oriented, and love to spend time with family and kids. Because of this, the dog has been rated as number one by the registered dog owner of U.S. for unbeatable 20 years.

A Labrador has webbed paws for swimming, which is quite useful for retrieving fishing nets. These dogs are athletic, love to swim, play catch and retrieve games, and are good with young kids and aged. They are kept for protection and are commonly used by police and other official bodies for their detection and working abilities.

Although Labrador Retrievers belong to a healthy breed; however, they do need proper care so that they can stay healthy and in good physical shape. Here are some easy tips for taking care of your Labrador.

Unlike many breeds,Labradors do not reach adulthood around the age of two. It takes them three years to become fully adult. Therefore, you need to treat and care for them like puppies for full three years.

Ensure that you or someone in your home spends 30 to 60 minutes a day playing with and exercising the dog.

Always keep the weight of your dog down as overweight dogs encounter many health problems, including heart trouble and arthritis.

It is important for you to learn about the health problems came with this breed, which include hip and elbow dysplasia, knee problems, and some eye disorders.

Brush your dog once a week with a slicker brush in order to keep shedding tamed.

Bathe your Labradorat home only if it reeks.

In order to prevent any foot problem, trim your dog’s nails regularly every month.

Keep in mind that these dogs are somewhat stubborn, therefore you need to be consistent and patient while training them.

Since Labradors are fairly active, they can be kept indoors or out because they will be happy in a yard or house.

The average life expectancy of Labrador Retrievers is 10 to 20 years, therefore be prepared to enjoy these years with your pet Labrador.

It is necessary to take specialconsideration before buying a chinchilla. A few general considerations include facts such as chinchillas are nocturnal and are mostly active at night. They do not do well around young kids as they have fragile bones that can be easily broken by a handling of a young kid. These animals can live up to 20 years. Keeping in view these facts, consider the following guidelines when placing your chinchillas.

Away from humidity

Not close to drafty areas

Away from direct sunlight

Proper air circulation without blowing directly on them

Away from a heat source

Protected from outside intruders

Temperatures not over 80 degrees Fahrenheit in hot weather and not below 50 degrees Fahrenheit in cold weather.

Chinchillas like to live in a nice, clean cage with good air circulation. A very large cage is not necessary as they do not need a lot of exercise. Some guidelines have been made for minimum cage size, which are as under:

Having enough space for chinchillas will allow them to exercise easily and stay healthy. Although larger cages are good, however ensure that cages are safe for chinchillas. Chinchillas are excellent jumpers and do not need ramps, however if you want to have ramps in their cages then they should be made of a solid material because chinchilla’s small feet can easily get caught in wire ramps. Select a wired cage instead of wooden cage as chinchillas can chew the wood easily.